The Talvivaara Mining Company resumed ore production at the company's Sotkamo mine on Monday after heavy rains and leaks of process waste water forced it to halt operations in September.

After a close to nine month hiatus, the mining of ore
was restarted on Monday. Processing is to be gradually ramped up. It was
originally expected to restart mining operations in the summer.

According to the company, the resumption of ore
production will improve overall water levels and site water management. Heaps
of freshly mined ore bind water equivalent to 10-15 percent of their mass. For
example, 10 million tons of fresh ore binds at least one million cubic metres
of water.

In 2011, the Talvivaara mine at Sotkamo produced 11.1
million tons of ore. Last year, 8.7 million tons were produced before mining
operations where shut down in September.